Life's Legacy
by QuickStrike15
Summary: The gates have opened. The heavens part way to allow Megatron all the power he's longed for. What's left to save the Universe? Ninth and last in the series.


"LIFE'S LEGACY"  
  
WRITTEN BY  
QUICKSTRIKE15  
(TIEANBRICE@AOL.COM)  
  
Megatron prepares his plans for the key program.  
MEGATRON: "All is in readiness. The key's tangible form is on the assembly line, and will be loaded into every Vehicon I have. Then, Optimus and his beasts shall see the true force of mighty Megatron, master of the Universe!" Thrust rolls up to Megatron.  
THRUST: "Hey, boss, I got a question."  
MEGATRON: "Oh, this is quite amusing. You never think your entire life-cycle, then as I prepare for my ascension into godhood, you bother me!"  
THRUST: "I just wanted to know something about your plan."  
MEGATRON: "That's for me to know, and you to stop thinking about! Now get back to work! You know that all of you Vehicon generals are an important part of this. And if you bungle anything, I will personally take you offline!"  
THRUST: "Understood." He turns, and rolls away. "I don't like this. It's like I remember how Megatron is, how far he'll go to achieve his goals, and how many times my bumper's been put on the line for it. But I don't get it, that's never happened...to Thrust! Maybe I'm on to something."  
MEGATRON: "Thrust! I don't hear you working!"  
THRUST: "I'm on it! Yeah, I'm on it, all right." Thrust goes back to work.  
  
***  
  
The Maximals tend to the orchard.  
RATTRAP: "You know, I've been thinking about this whole key deal. Now, if Megatron would go so far as to open a portal to da Matrix in order to get at it, then why would he trust his Vehicons to get the key for him?"  
OPTIMUS: "Well, Megatron doesn't have a body, so I suppose that would tend to limit him."  
SILVERBOLT: "If there's one thing I know about Megatron, it's that nothing limits him."  
BLACKARACHNIA: "They're right. Megatron trusts his troops as far as he can throw them. Believe me, I know."  
OPTIMUS: "You do raise an interesting point. Megatron jeopardized everything sending the Vehicon generals out alone. There must have been a plan."  
CHEETOR: "Come on, guys. I mean Megatron did send that diagnostic drone after the key while we were busy fighting. It would have grabbed it too, if it weren't for Optimus. Megatron played his hand, and lost. Let's just leave it at that." OPTIMUS: "Maybe that diagnostic drone is the key to figuring this all out. Perhaps Megatron played us all for fools!"  
CHEETOR: "There's no need to jump to that kind of conclusion."  
RATTRAP: "Hey, Spots, you ever met Megatron?! This is totally his M/O!"  
SILVERBOLT: "I now know better than to ignore my instincts, and they're all telling me that Megatron's plan remains in motion."  
OPTIMUS: "I'll contact the Oracle, see what it knows. Rattrap, Cheetor, Nightscream, you're on surveillance. Scout Megatron out, and at the first suspicious sign, contact us. We'll be there in a heartbeat."  
CHEETOR: "But Optimus, if Megatron's plans really are in motion, won't he expect us to move in on him?"  
OPTIMUS: "I'm counting on it." He walks away.  
RATTRAP: "Ape's gone serious. Let's move."  
CHEETOR: "Right with you."  
NIGHTSCREAM: "I don't believe this! Megatron can't have won!"  
CHEETOR: "He hasn't yet, not if we keep thinking positive. Let's go." They leave the orchard.  
BOTANICA: "It's like the world has just been turned upside-down!"  
BLACKARACHNIA: "It's been that way for us ever since we got back here."  
SILVERBOLT: "And ever since I returned to life."  
RHINOX: "Megatron...I won't let him get away with whatever he's planning! This ends today, whether he likes it or not!"  
DEPTH CHARGE: "Easy, we don't know anything yet. Megatron might have another plan lined up, not nearly as dangerous."  
TIGERHAWK: "All of Megatron's plans are dangerous."  
DEPTH CHARGE: "You got a point there."  
DINOBOT: "Megatron is devious, and we should never underestimate him. The power he holds is great, but not as great as can be imagined through our wildest dreams. We shouldn't think anything until we know more. He who plans without knowledge of the beyond is planning a disaster."  
TIGERHAWK: "Dinobot speaks the truth. Let's just wait for the report from the others, and see what Optimus can find from the Oracle. Then we gather our minds and our anger, and hit him where it hurts. That's the only way to save Cybertron."  
DEPTH CHARGE: "So, we wait."  
  
***  
  
Cheetor, Rattrap and Nightscream sneak around Cybertropolis.  
RATTRAP: "Man, it sure got a lot scarier down here since we arrived."  
CHEETOR: "That's because you're scared. Don't worry, this is only a recon job. Once we see what Megatron's up to, we call in and wait for the cavalry."  
RATTRAP: "Yeah, then we fight what could be Great War 3!"  
CHEETOR: "I wish everyone would calm down. We don't know what's up yet. Let's just wait to see something, okay?"  
RATTRAP: "Yeah, sure, just remember that it was curiosity that killed the cat."  
NIGHTSCREAM: "Save it and come on." Nightscream follows Cheetor to the center of Cybertropolis.  
CHEETOR: "I don't see any Vehicon guards. That's gotta be a good sign."  
RATTRAP: "Or a very, very bad one."  
CHEETOR: "Shut up, Rattrap." Cheetor whispers. He then gets a clean look at Megatron. "There he is, just where Optimus said he'd be. Right in the heart of the city. Now, where are the gears moving?"  
NIGHTSCREAM: "Look there!" Nightscream points left, where he sees Vehicons moving large metal crates.  
CHEETOR: "What are in those things?"  
RATTRAP: "Probably Maximal-seeking missiles!"  
CHEETOR: "Rattrap! Now, where are they taking the crates?" Cheetor moves further to his right, in order to see behind a building. He then sees the Vehicons stack the crates by a wall. "They're moving furniture?"  
RATTRAP: "What? That's crazy."  
NIGHTSCREAM: "That can't be right! Megatron's supposed to be so angry he wants to wipe us off the planet with a giant sponge!"  
CHEETOR: "Well, I don't see anything else suspicious."  
RATTRAP: "How about Tankonok?"  
CHEETOR: "Where?"  
RATTRAP: "Right behind us!" Nightscream and Cheetor turn to see Tankonok towering above them.  
TANKONOK: "Nosy little Maximals. Crush!" Tankonok lifts his foot, and all three clear out before he stomps it down.  
CHEETOR: "It was a trap!"  
TANKONOK: "Megatron knew full well you'd eventually find out about his little secret, so he sent us out to wait for you."  
NIGHTSCREAM: "Us?" Just then, Terrorsoar, Quickstrike and Cyclobot appear.  
TANKONOK: "Bonus points for whichever Vehicon knocks out a Maximal first!" The generals go on the attack.  
RATTRAP: "Oh, man, here we go!"  
CHEETOR: "Let's do it!" Cheetor and Nightscream fight back. Rattrap hesitates, and joins in just a few seconds later. The Maximal offensive is good, but the Vehicons get the upper hand, and clean their enemies' clocks. They all go offline.  
TANKONOK: "I get the bonus points!"  
TERRORSOAR: "Let's take them before Megatron like we promised." They lift the unconscious Maximals, and take them down to the hub of Cybertropolis.  
  
***  
  
Optimus thinks to himself.  
OPTIMUS: "Oracle, please, I must know now, what is Megatron doing?"  
ORACLE: "You must know all?"  
OPTIMUS: "I don't mean to be greedy, but this is the fate of the world we're talking about. If I don't discover Megatron's plans, then Cybertron is doomed!"  
ORACLE: "You rely too greatly on my powers. There will come a time I will not give you the right answer."  
OPTIMUS: "What do you mean?"  
ORACLE: "Feel it in your heart. What is your body telling you?" Optimus concentrates. He then feels Cheetor, Nightscream and Rattrap go offline.  
OPTIMUS: "They're in trouble!"  
ORACLE: "Go to them now. Stop Megatron, for there is no future for the Universe past tonight. Go!" Optimus snaps back, and goes to tell the others.  
BLACKARACHNIA: "What is it, Optimus?"  
OPTIMUS: "Everything. Let's move out!"  
  
***  
  
Cheetor, Nightscream and Rattrap awaken, in power bonds, right in front of Megatron.  
CHEETOR: "What...what is this?"  
TERRORSOAR: "On your knees!" Terrorsoar shocks the Maximals with a taser, and they lift their upper bodies off of the ground.  
MEGATRON: "Welcome, esteemed guests. Welcome to the end of the world as you know it!"  
CHEETOR: "What's your game, Megatron? What are you up to?"  
MEGATRON: "Well, I gathered that after your skulking around, you'd know by now."  
CHEETOR: "Stop playing around! What's up?"  
MEGATRON: "Well, the Matrix, for one thing. Let me explain. You see, you Maximals have been a thorn in my side since I was brought into creation! You never made things easy on my race, and I was corrupted against you for that."  
CHEETOR: "The Predacons made things hard on themselves! They're were looters and--"  
MEGATRON: "Silence! As I grew on this world, I knew there would only be one thing that would satisfy my hunger, one I'd never fed...power. Total control! So, that is when I stole my ship, assembled a crew, and headed off to Earth. My plan was going perfectly, until I had the ultimate misfortune of crossing paths with a Maximal exploration vessel. One containing the most persistent, annoying robots ever constructed! You halted my plans of changing the future, a future where it would finally be the Predacons who rule the Maximals...but the dream was lost. You destroyed Nemesis, and had me hauled back to Cybertron to face punishment. Little could you, or anyone for that matter, have guessed that falling through Trans-Warp space the way I did would allow me to reach Cybertron solar cycles before you! Thus, I took control of my own life once again, and with the planet's resources, I was able to wrestle order away from those who contained it, and take it for myself. And then, you could see my brilliant handiwork. A quiet, simple planet, with one mind excelling above all others...mine!"  
CHEETOR: "Life isn't meant to be quiet and simple! It's meant to be loud, complicated! To struggle through, yet enjoy with all your soul!"  
MEGATRON: "Silence!" Terrorsoar shocks Cheetor with the taser. "My dream had finally come true, until you Maximals finally arrived. I figured that with the devolving gas, taking you back to your original forms, I could easily capture and destroy you, but that proved to be wrong. For you found the Oracle, the being that first introduced the art of transformation to Cybertronians. And with your newfound abilities, I've had to use everything in my repertoire to eliminate your primal influence! And the Key to Vector Sigma has been the only thing that ever came close enough. Now, that power is mine again!"  
CHEETOR: "Optimus was right. You used your little diagnostic drone to copy the code while we fought your generals!"  
MEGATRON: "Correct, Pussycat. The key's code is mine, and I've constructed its main form, loading it into every Vehicon I have..." Vehicons come out of the woodworks, carrying the key program. "But that is not the only code I've held on to, no. You see, after visiting the home of all fallen robots, I have another program, which is my ticket to total control of the Universe!"  
NIGHTSCREAM: "No! It can't be!"  
CHEETOR: "You're going to open up a portal to the Matrix!"  
MEGATRON: "Very good, children, you've been paying attention. After the Matrix opens for its new ruler, I will fire the key program straight up, altering everything in that dimension into a technological monument unto me!"  
CHEETOR: "I'll never let you get away with this!" The Maximals attempt to break free of their bonds. Terrorsoar gives them all a shock.  
MEGATRON: "There is nothing you can do now, it's too late! After all this time and torment, endless struggle, and pain, life has recognized my place. I will finally transcend my physical shackles, and take my throne as a god!"  
CHEETOR: "Never!" Just then, the Maximals' bonds are shot off, and they stand. They turn to see the other Maximals, all in battle mode, ready to back them up. "They're here!"  
OPTIMUS: "My gut told me Megatron was up to something. And this is something big. Megatron, I'll never let you win! Because, I have dreams too. And my biggest dream is to see all living beings happy, full of life, not sterile and dead inside. Your rule over the Universe will only bring the end, and I think there's a lot of life left to go through."  
MEGATRON: "No, Optimus, you won't stand in my way this time! I've gone through too much to be stopped!"  
OPTIMUS: "And I've gone through too much to stop you! History is formed to teach us lessons, and what happened to Megatron and the Decepticons was meant to be. And I will live to see history repeat itself."  
MEGATRON: "Never! Now, say good-bye to the Universe, Maximals! For it will never be the same again!" Megatron initiates his program, and opens a portal in the sky.  
OPTIMUS: "By the Matrix, he's actually done it!"  
MEGATRON: "There is no stopping this now! Once even one key is able to shoot into the portal, the Matrix will feel the sting, and lose all of its power to me!"  
CHEETOR: "What do we do, Big Bot?"  
OPTIMUS: "Pray." The portal widens, and sparks can be seen across the sky.  
MEGATRON: "And fire!" All Vehicons fire the key program right into the Matrix. The impact from the beams brews a giant storm in the air.  
RATTRAP: "Oh, man, this is worst than the time storm back on Earth! We're all gonna die!"  
OPTIMUS: "Maybe." The storm brings lightning bolts, which strike the ground quickly. One hits Terrorsoar as he stares into the sky, and his spark immediately flies from his body, into the Matrix. More lightning bolts strike, and take the sparks from other Vehicon generals. Rhinox looks down in thought.  
RHINOX: "Maybe not!" Rhinox runs right into the eye of the storm.  
OPTIMUS: "Rhinox, no!" Another bolt rockets down, and claims Rhinox' spark. "Rhinox! Why?"  
CHEETOR: "Hey, we'd better get some cover, and fast! The storm's heading our way!" Cheetor pulls Optimus back, and everyone runs for safety.  
MEGATRON: "Yes, this is it! Life is being reformatted, into my perfect vision! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"  
CHEETOR: "Over here!" Cheetor spots a large pile of reinforced steel nearby. The Maximals run for it. They put everything they have into the dash, and make it behind the steel.  
OPTIMUS: "We made it."  
CHEETOR: "Not all of us." Optimus looks out, and sees Tigerhawk, Depth Charge and Dinobot lying still on the ground, as their sparks ascend into the sky.  
OPTIMUS: "No! Why them? Why did it have to be them?!"  
CHEETOR: "I guess they weren't used enough to their technorganic bodies yet. They couldn't find their full dexterity."  
OPTIMUS: "Megatron's gone too far! He's taken my friends from me not once now, but twice! I have to stop him before he takes everything I've ever loved!" Optimus shuts his eyes, and concentrates. "Oracle, I summon you now. I need your help to end this tragedy. You're the only one powerful enough to assist me." He flashes on the Oracle before him.  
ORACLE: "There is one force strong enough to defeat the key. And since the Key to Vector Sigma can never truly be destroyed, neither can its foe."  
OPTIMUS: "I have to find it, and use it now!"  
ORACLE: "I can take you to its location. But you'll have to see it with your own eyes."  
OPTIMUS: "I'll do whatever it takes."  
ORACLE: "Then go!" Optimus snaps back, and his eyes glow orange. His spark shoots out a beam, and it flows right into the portal.  
CHEETOR: "Optimus is entering the Matrix again!"  
RATTRAP: "But what can he do up there? Megatron's causing all the trouble down here now!"  
CHEETOR: "Trust Optimus. He always knows what to do. I believe in him."  
RATTRAP: "Right about now, I'd trust cheese to get us out to this!"  
  
***  
  
Optimus enters the Matrix is astral form.  
OPTIMUS: "I have to find the key's opponent."  
RHINOX: "I can help."  
OPTIMUS: "Rhinox?" Optimus sees Rhinox's image, made up of sparks.  
RHINOX: "That's why I did what I did. I knew there was only one thing that could beat the key, and that's the Plasma Energy Chamber. I've found it, follow me." Optimus trails Rhinox. The storm rages, and forces them in all directions, but they persevere, and come face-to-face with the Plasma Energy's 'M' insignia.  
OPTIMUS: "Thank you, Rhinox. I wouldn't have made it through the storm and found the energy without you."  
RHINOX: "I found that I owed this world, I owed it my life."  
OPTIMUS: "Your good deeds will never be forgotten, old friend. Farewell."  
RHINOX: "Farewell, Optimus. Save Cybertron, save the Matrix, save life itself!" Optimus reaches out for the 'M'.  
  
***  
  
Optimus comes back. His eyes turn from orange to green, due to the plasma energy.  
OPTIMUS: "Okay, Megatron, try this on for size!"  
CHEETOR: "What'd you find out, Optimus? How are you gonna beat Megatron?"  
OPTIMUS: "The key can only be countered with one thing. The Plasma Energy Chamber."  
RATTRAP: "Are you whacked? The Plasma Energy nearly destroyed the planet last time!"  
OPTIMUS: "Last time I wasn't familiar with its power. Now, instead of destroying the technological, I'll reverse it. Trust me."  
CHEETOR: "What'd I tell you?"  
RATTRAP: "Go for it, boss."  
BLACKARACHNIA: "We believe in you, Optimus."  
SILVERBOLT: "Stop Megatron is his tracks!"  
BOTANICA: "Bring our world peace."  
NIGHTSCREAM: "And the Universe too!"  
OPTIMUS: "I will." Optimus activates his jets, and shoots into the sky.  
MEGATRON: "Optimus, what are you doing? It's too late! Look at the sky, look at the Matrix! Everything above is cowering before me, and it turn so are the planets below. You cannot stop this!"  
OPTIMUS: "I can, and I will." Optimus releases the plasma energy through his hands, and it hits the ground immediately.  
MEGATRON: "The Plasma Energy? It can't be! Optimus, you cannot use this! If you do, you'll destroy everything!"  
OPTIMUS: "No, Megatron, I won't. I'm not like you. Not anymore." Optimus focuses the plasma energy. First, it wipes out all of the Vehicons with the key program, turning them to scrap. Then, it heads into the sky, and forces back the technological blanket cascading from the Matrix. Then, Optimus focuses everything, and the plasma energy comes from all orifices, trying desperately to clean the waste from the Matrix. The energy eventually transforms it into a little ball, and zaps it away.  
CHEETOR: "Optimus did it! The storm stopped!"  
RATTRAP: "Way to go, Big Ape!" The sparks above assemble, and form an image of Optimus, their protector.  
OPTIMUS: "You're welcome." Optimus uses the leftover energy to close the portal, and seal it for good. A giant 'M' forms in the sky.  
MEGATRON: "Noooooooooo! This was my greatest chance! You took my power away from me again!"  
OPTIMUS: "Yeah. What's that telling you?"  
MEGATRON: "This won't stop me, Optimus! You know that! I'll keep coming back, again and again, until I claim victory!" Optimus fires a bolt of plasma energy at Megatron's data stream, and his image disappears. He comes into view a few seconds later, in a physical form.  
NIGHTSCREAM: "That's Noble's body!"  
MEGATRON: "No, not banished to this chaotic beast form again! Not again!"  
OPTIMUS: "Try to cause harm without your precious codes and electronic control. Leave, Megatron. Now!"  
MEGATRON: "I will go, but as I said, I will never stop! Never!" He scurries off quickly. Optimus lands. The other Maximals gather around him.  
CHEETOR: "You did it, Big Bot! You saved everything that was, is, and will be."  
RATTRAP: "That was nice work."  
BLACKARACHNIA: "We owe you everything."  
OPTIMUS: "No, you don't. I only did the work of the Oracle. We owe the brave soldiers who not only paid the ultimate price of war once, but twice. They are and will always be the true heroes. Thank you, Rhinox, Tigerhawk, Depth Charge, and Dinobot. Your lives leave a legacy. And you are life's legacy." 


End file.
